Apparatus and method for removing poultry tenders
AssigneeTyson Foods, Inc.
InventorsBrandon Casey Haley, William David Royall, Richard Passmore, Kip Edwards, Marion Parker Davis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for removing poultry tenders from at least partial poultry carcasses. The apparatus and method preferably employ an elongate pair of stationary blades through which the carcasses are conducted prior to being processed by at least a pair of plows positioned on apposite sides of the keels of the carcasses. The edges of the elongate blades are spaced apart and inclined such that the blade edges receive the keels therebetween and guide the carcasses in their path of travel while cutting into the carcasses along each side of the keels.
Claims31
An apparatus for removing breast tenders from a partial carcass comprising:
- an elongated frame mountable above a conveyor conveying partial carcasses having a plow assembly having at least one pair of opposing proximately spaced rotating circular plows attached thereto and an elongated entry guide attached thereto upstream relative to a path of conveyance of said plow assembly and said guide having proximately spaced side by side rails for receiving and aligning a keel of a partial carcass having a tender exposed;
- and
- an underscore blade assembly having a pair of proximately spaced horizontally oriented underscore blades attached to the frame along the length of the entry guide and said blades positioned to laterally underscore the tender and said underscore assembly attached upstream of the plow assembly.
An apparatus for removing breast tenders from partial carcasses comprising:
- an elongated frame mountable above a conveyor conveying partial carcasses having a plow assembly having at least one pair of opposing rotatable circular plows attached thereto;
- an underscore blade assembly attached to the frame upstream of plow assembly relative to direction of conveyance of an oncoming partial carcass further comprising:
- a pivot mount having an underscore blade horizontally extending therefrom;
- a biasing spring attached to pivot mount and operable to effect inward rotation of the underscore blade to engage a partial carcass being conveyed;
- and
- a cylinder operably attached to the pivot mount and operable to effect rotation of the pivot mount to retract and release the underscore blade.
An apparatus for removing breast tenders from partial carcasses comprising:
- an elongated frame mountable over a conveyor conveying partial carcasses;
- and
- an underscore blade assembly attached to the underside of said frame having a pair of proximately spaced horizontally oriented underscore blades and positioned for laterally underscoring a tender as it is conveyed past the blades with the horizontally oriented blades;
- where said underscore blade assembly further comprises,
- a pivot mount having an underscore blade horizontally extending therefrom;
- a biasing spring attached to the pivot mount and operable to effect inward lateral rotation of the underscore blade to engage a partial carcass being conveyed;
- and
- a cylinder operably attached to the pivot mount and operable to effect rotation of the pivot mount to retract and release the underscore blade.
In an apparatus for removing poultry breast tenders from at least partial poultry carcasses, said at least partial poultry carcasses including at least partial keels and said apparatus having at least a pair of rotatable plows positioned to be on opposite sides of said keels as said at least partial poultry carcasses are conducted in a path of travel through said apparatus, the improvement comprising a pair of blades having elongate blade edges and having an operating position upstream of said plows wherein said elongate blade edges are fixed in a stationary, opposing, spaced apart orientation effective for receiving said keels therebetween and guiding said at least partial poultry carcasses along said path of travel while cutting into said at least partial poultry carcasses along each side of said keels.
In an apparatus for removing poultry breast tenders from at least partial poultry carcasses, said at least partial poultry carcasses including at least partial keels and said apparatus having at least a pair of rotatable plows positioned to be on opposite sides of said keels as said at least partial poultry carcasses are conducted in a path of travel through said apparatus, the improvement comprising a pair of blades having elongate blade edges and having an operating position upstream of said plows wherein said elongate blade edges are spaced apart and are inclined into said path of travel at an angle in the range of from about 5° to about 20°.
In a method for removing poultry breast tenders including the step of plowing said poultry breast tenders by conducting at least partial poultry carcasses having said poultry breast tenders thereon, and having at least partial keels, in a path of travel through at least a pair of rotatable plows positioned on opposite sides of said keels, the improvement comprising the step, prior to said step of plowing, of precutting said at least partial poultry carcasses by conducting said at least partial poultry carcasses through a pair of stationary blades having elongate blade edges spaced apart and inclined into said path of travel at an angle of not more than 20° such that said blade edges receive said keels therebetween and guide said at least partial poultry carcasses in said path of travel while cutting into said at least partial poultry carcasses along each side of said keels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.